Taxi Driver’s Car Stolen in Moscow amid Pawn Dispute
A taxi driver’s car was taken from him at night on Garibaldi Street in Moscow, with a stone used as a threat, according to a report from the Baza Telegram channel. The incident unfolded on the night of May 29, when Ulughbek, a taxi driver, observed a black Mercedes-Benz pull up beside his Toyota Camry. A man stepped from the German luxury car, approached the passenger side, and brandished a stone. He demanded that the taxi driver leave the vehicle, and when the driver complied, the thief jumped into the Toyota and sped away, leaving Ulughbek shocked and shaken.
Investigators quickly identified the thief as the former owner of the Camry. The background to the event involves a sale that had taken place earlier for 2.3 million rubles. The vehicle, however, turned out to be pawned, and Ulughbek had already paid 1.9 million rubles. He intended to pay the remaining amount later, fearing the car could be confiscated or seized. The seller, disagreeing with this arrangement, moved to take back the vehicle, a development that escalated into the theft and the hijacking. This sequence underscores how financial disputes tied to vehicle transactions can lead to volatile, even dangerous, confrontations on the road, especially when ownership and pawn status are blurred in the moment of need.
Within two hours, law enforcement located both the Toyota and the suspects, including the hijacker and his companion, inside a Mercedes-Benz. The taxi driver filed a formal statement with the police, hoping for a resolution that would prevent future harm and allow him to retrieve his livelihood or find a fair settlement with the seller. The incident illustrates the rapid response possible when police are alerted to a vehicle theft in progress and when the parties involved in a contested sale are monitored by authorities. It also highlights the vulnerability of rideshare drivers who can become entangled in disputes over ownership and financial arrangements tied to vehicles.
Earlier reporting noted a separate incident where a drunken vehicle service worker in the Murmansk region stole a car that had been delivered for repair. This juxtaposition underscores a broader pattern in which vehicle-related misconduct can disrupt public transport services and threaten personal safety. Authorities continue to emphasize the importance of secure handoffs during vehicle sales and careful verification of ownership and pawn status before the transfer of keys or payment is completed. In every case, the priority remains the safety of drivers, passengers, and bystanders as law enforcement conducts its investigations and negotiates potential resolutions between the parties involved. Source: Baza Telegram channel attribution